Mārama is an upcoming New Zealand gothic horror film written and directed by Taratoa Stappard and starring Toby Stephens, Umi Myers and Ariāna Osborne.
Premise
A young Māori woman fights to keep her identity in mid-19th century England.[1]
The film is from writer-director Taratoa Stappard and has Sharlene George producting for The Sweetshop. Ricky Russell-Waipuka and Rouzie Hassanova are also producing with Paraone Gloyne as Māori language and culture producer. Executive Producers include Victoria Dabbs and Gal Greenspan for Sweetshop Entertainment, Jill Macnab and Phil Bremner for Vendetta Films and Badie Ali, Hamza Ali and Greg Newman for MPI Media.[2]
The cast is led by Toby Stephens, Umi Myers and Ariāna Osborne and also features Erroll Shand and Jordan Mooney.[3]
The film was developed with support from Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga (The New Zealand Film Commission), imagineNATIVE, The Black List, Toronto International Film Festival, the Zurich Film Festival and the Berlinale Co-Production Market. The film is made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Whakaata Māori and Images & Sound. Principal photography took place in late-2024 in Auckland and in the Otago region.[4][5]
